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Updated March 20, 2019
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):
FY2019 Budget Request and Appropriations
The mission of the Department of Commerce (DOC)
total enacted direct obligation levels, with the ORF
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
subaccount comprising the remainder of the total funding
(NOAA) is to understand and predict changes in weather,
(68%-78%).
climate, oceans, and coasts; to share that information with
others; and to conserve and manage coastal and marine
Figure 1. NOAA ORF and PAC Requested and
ecosystems and resources. NOAA’s work is divided among
Enacted Appropriations, FY2008-FY2019
six line offices: National Environmental Satellite, Data, and
(nominal $ in bil ions)
Information Service (NESDIS); National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS); National Ocean Service (NOS); National
Weather Service (NWS); Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research (OAR); and Office of Marine and
Aviation Operations (OMAO). NOAA also has an overall
Mission Support function.
Congress generally funds NOAA in the annual Commerce,
Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations act.
Congress provides NOAA with discretionary and
mandatory appropriations. Discretionary appropriations
support two broad categories of spending—operations,
research, and facilities (ORF) and procurement, acquisition,
and construction (PAC)—as well as a variety of fisheries
funds. Mandatory appropriations are generally a small
percentage of total NOAA appropriations and are disbursed
Source: Congressional Research Service, from NOAA budget
to a variety of funds, such as fisheries programs and NOAA
justifications and congressional explanatory statements.
Corps Commissioned Officers benefits. This CRS product
Note: Amounts do not include supplemental appropriations,
examines ORF and PAC discretionary funding for FY2019
rescissions, or sequestration.
and potential issues for Congress, such as issues related to
grant programs, the agency’s plans for future weather and
Issues for Congress
environmental satellites, and its policies regarding space
According to NOAA’s FY2019 budget justification, the
commerce.
FY2019 budget prioritized core government functions and
supported the administration’s priorities to “reduce the
FY2019 Funding
impacts of severe weather and water events and increase the
The Administration requested a total of $4.75 billion in
sustainable contributions of [U.S.] fishery and ocean
discretionary direct obligations for ORF and PAC for
resources.”
FY2019, including $4.56 billion in new appropriations.
(See the notes to Table 1 for a description of direct
Proposed Program Funding Changes
obligations and new appropriations.) House and Senate
For FY2019, the Administration proposed increases to 21
committees each reported a FY2019 Commerce, Justice,
subactivities totaling over $55 million. It also proposed the
Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill (H.R.
reduction or elimination of 65 subactivities totaling over $1
5952 and S. 3072), but neither received floor consideration
billion. Proposed reductions or eliminations to subactivity
prior to the end of the 115th Congress. Both bills would
grants, subsidies, and contributions (GSC) budget line items
have provided more funding in direct obligations to NOAA
totaled more than $340 million between the FY2019 base
than it requested for FY2019 but less than the FY2018
level and the FY2019 budget request (Table 1). The GSC
enacted amount ($6.00 billion).
budget line provides funding to nonfederal entities, such as
states, universities, and the private sector, through grants
After several continuing resolutions and an agency
and competitive research opportunities. Activities proposed
shutdown, Congress enacted P.L. 116-6, which provides
for termination included NMFS Prescott Marine Mammal
$5.54 billion in direct obligations and $5.35 billion in new
Rescue Assistance grants, NOS Coastal Zone Management
appropriations to the agency for FY2019. Both enacted
grants, NWS National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program
direct obligations and enacted appropriations for NOAA
grants, OAR’s National Sea Grant College Program, and
ORF and PAC have generally increased since FY2008
the Educational Partnership Program for Minority Serving
(appropriations shown in Figure 1). Since FY2008, the
Institutions program under Mission Support.
PAC subaccount has fluctuated between 22% and 32% of
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Table 1. NOAA FY2019 Requested, Considered, and Enacted Direct Obligation and New Appropriation Levels
($ in millions)
Other
Requested
Requested
FY2019
H.R. 5952
S. 3072
FY2018
FY2019
GSC to be
Eliminations
Budget
(House-
(Senate-
FY2019
Line Offices
Enacteda
Baseb
Eliminatedc or Reductions
Request
reported)
reported)
Enacted
NESDIS
$2,100
$2,191
$0
$551
$1,640
$1,662
$1,743
$1,700
NMFS
$883
$856
$19
$26
$810
$875
$925
$909
NOS
$565
$523
$139
$2
$382
$558
$588
$585
NWS
$1,157
$1,128
$14
$62
$1,053
$1,143
$1,161
$1,163
OAR
$549
$514
$150
$42
$322
$503
$549
$566
OMAO
$458
$299
$0
$0d
$304
$249
$327
$326
Mission Support
$290
$276
$18
$14
$245
$276
$300
$292
Total Direct
$6,001
$5,787
$340
$697
$4,755
$5,266
$5,594
$5,540
Obligationse
Total New
$5,827
$5,593
Not
Not
$4,561
$5,075
$5,406
$5,352
Appropriationsf
Applicable
Applicable
Sources: CRS from NOAA Budget Estimates Fiscal Year 2019; explanatory statement for P.L. 115-141; H.Rept. 115-704; S.Rept. 115-275; and
H.Rept. 116-9.
Notes: ORF: operations, research, and facilities; PAC: procurement, acquisition, and construction; GSC: grants, subsidies, and contributions.
a. Enacted amounts do not include supplemental appropriations.
b. NOAA Budget Estimates Fiscal Year 2019 estimated FY2019 expenses using the FY2018 Annualized Continuing Resolution and expected
adjustments.
c. The amounts reflect requested changes greater than 5% of a Program, Project, and Activity (PPA), new starts, or terminations. Requested
changes less than 5% of the PPA are not included in the amounts shown.
d. The Administration proposed a $4.90 mil ion increase from the FY2019 base to the OMAO line office.
e. Amounts may not add up to total due to rounding. “Total Direct Obligations,” or total program or funding level, includes direct new
appropriations, transfers from NOAA funds, and recoveries of canceled prior-year obligations.
f.
Amounts may not add up to total due to rounding. “Total New Appropriations” includes the enacted or requested appropriation dol ars
for the fiscal year and does not include recoveries of canceled prior-year obligations, transfers from other NOAA accounts, or
supplemental appropriations.
Planned decreases to two satellite programs accounted for
funding for JPSS and PFO, but encourages NOAA “to
more than $550 million of the remaining $697 million in
provide the Committees ... a revised proposal that clearly
proposed reductions. The remaining proposed reductions
identifies the cost and programmatic efficiencies that would
and eliminations were related to stand-alone or GSC-
be gained by combining these programs.” H.Rept. 116-9
associated budget line items such as purchases, full-time
also notes specific funding for GOES, but does not respond
employees, travel, and other program adjustments (Table
to other FY2019 requested GOES-related changes.
1). Similar changes had been proposed in NOAA’s FY2018
budget request. P.L. 116-6, as described by H.Rept. 116-9,
Space Commerce
does not include the Administration’s proposed GSC
Together with other agencies, DOC regulates and promotes
eliminations and reductions.
the commercial space sector, including commercial remote
sensing satellites. The 115th Congress held hearings on
Future Satellite Funding
NOAA’s involvement in space commerce. NOAA currently
NOAA provides global weather and environmental data
houses the Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs
from satellites, such as the Joint Polar Satellite System
Office (CRSRA) and Office of Space Commerce (OSC).
(JPSS), Polar Follow-On (PFO), Geostationary Operational
P.L. 116-6, as described in H.Rept. 116-9, meets the
Environmental Satellite (GOES), and other remote sensing
Administration’s funding request for CRSRA and OSC.
technologies, to other federal agencies, the public, and the
H.Rept. 116-9 also directs DOC “to fully utilize its current
private sector. Congress has previously raised questions
offices and authorities to encourage the commercial use of
about NOAA’s satellite programs, particularly JPSS,
space,” until the Administration’s proposed Bureau of
regarding data continuity, program management, and
Space Commerce is established in law.
budget. The FY2019 request would have merged JPSS and
PFO into a new program, Polar Weather Satellites (PWS),
Eva Lipiec, Analyst in Natural Resources Policy
and would have funded continued development and work
on JPSS and the next generation of GOES satellites. P.L.
IF10907
116-6, as described in H.Rept. 116-9, provides separate
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): FY2019 Budget Request and Appropriations
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